Retronauts Episode 474: Evil Dead
In 1300 AD they called podcasters “Heroes from the Sky”
I lived through the entire 1980s but for most of that time, I was far too young to watch horror movies. Even action movies with a lot of blood often exceeded my capacity for death and gore. But when a friend showed me Army of Darkness at a sleepover in the 90s, I had to go back and discover the films Sam Raimi made leading up to it, and the crown jewel of his oeuvre is Evil Dead 2, hands down (under a bucket and a pile of books, for the hand is evil).
Two-thirds blood soaked slasher film but one-third Stooge-adjacent goofy times, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn frightens even as it delivers more laughs than 90% of dedicated comedies. Its unique blend of extreme violence and absurd antics had a profound effect on the world of video games, as many young developers at the time watched Bruce Campbell punch and blast his way through the forces of Hell and thought “hey, that looks like fun.”
Host Bob Mackey welcomes frequent cohort Henry Gilbert and guest Steven Sajdak from We Hate Movies unlock the trap door to the cellar to tell us all about this sequel to a cult classic that became something else entirely. Tune in and you’ll be delighted by dawn!
Description: The ’00s Spider-Man movies might have put Sam Raimi on the map for most filmgoers, but the previous 20 years saw him experimenting in just about every genre. And most Raimi fans agree his greatest work to date is Evil Dead 2, an unexpected horror/comedy that—over the past 35 years—went from underground sensation to the most re-released film in the history of physical media. This week on Retronauts, join Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and We Hate Movies’ Steven Sajdak as the crew examines this incredibly unique and innovative movie that went on to inspire countless video games. You’ll never look at chainsaws the same way again!
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MP3, 43 MB | 1:33:03 Direct download Retronauts on iTunes Retronauts at Audioboom
As with all of the episodes Bob produces, this week’s cover art is by Nick Daniel. Check out his Twitter, or patronize his Patreon!
